Unus Vir Bellum One Man War
by DarkKnight1
Summary: What do you do when everything you know and love is stolen from you? Xander Harris is about to face this question and a certain firm will learn that there are some people you just don’t cross
1. Default Chapter

Unus vir Bellum (One Man War)  
  
Author: Socrates  
  
Disclaimer: Me and Fox own the rights to BTVS and its characters, marvel comics owns the right to the punisher, from which this story will follow to an extent.  
  
Rating: R for extreme violence and mature themes.  
  
Category: Action/Angst/Drama  
  
Summary: What do you do when everything you know and love is stolen from you? Xander Harris is about to face this question and a certain firm will learn that there are some people you just don't cross.  
  
Feedback: Why Certainly.  
  
AN: Forgive me people. I tried to let this one just go away but it wouldn't leave.  
  
*******  
  
Holland Masters looked intently at the black clad figure in front of him, his eyes searching intensely. Such an archaic way of getting things done  
  
"You know why you were called here?"  
  
The man in black sneered wickedly in response, the sunglasses he wore making it difficult to read his expression. "There's only one reason why I get called in like this." His eyes lit up, "Who's the target?"  
  
The old man slipped a folder across his desk and the man in black retrieved it. "Inside you will find all the appropriate information." He fixed the man in black firmly with his eyes. "There are to be NO survivors, understand?"   
  
"Sure" the man in black replied as he casually perused the various files, pausing a few times to whistle in appreciation. "We got us a couple of lookers!" If it was possible his smile turned even more sinister.  
  
"Try to keep your libido in check. This is a simple elimination, nothing more."  
  
The man in black waved his hands dismissively. "Whatever." He looked up from the files "What did these people do anyways."  
  
Holland smiled evilly up at him. "It's not so much what they did as it is who they know." He added quietly, "Or who knows them."  
  
"Poor bastards." The man in black replied, not sounding the least bit sincere.  
  
"See to the job and be done with it."  
  
The man in black closed the folder and snapped of a casual salute. "Will do, sir." With that, he turned and was gone from the private office.  
  
The old man sat quietly for a moment, then pulled open his desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of wine and poured himself a drink. He raised the glass in an imaginary toast. "To the coming tides of change. "  
  
I wonder if you are truly ready for what awaits you Angel? I wonder if any of us are?  
  
Downing the glass quickly, he signed in resignation before grabbing the phone from its cradle. He pressed one button and waited several seconds for the connection. "It's Holland."  
  
"Is it done?"  
  
"Yes, everything is taken care of."  
  
"The local law enforcement will not interfere?"  
  
"They compensated for their cooperation. There will be no interference."  
  
"Well done. Angel must be made to fear us."  
  
"He will be."  
  
The line went dead and Holland put it back on its cradle.  
  
Things were about to become very interesting indeed! 


	2. Torn Apart

Author: Socrates  
  
Disclaimer: Me and Fox own the rights to BTVS and its characters, marvel comics owns the right to the punisher, from which this story will follow to an extent.  
  
Rating: R for extreme violence and mature themes.  
  
Category: Action/Angst/Drama  
  
Summary: What do you do when everything you know and love is stolen from you? Xander Harris is about to face this question and a certain firm will learn that there are some people you just don't cross.  
  
Feedback: Why Certainly.  
  
AN: Forgive me people. I tried to let this one just go away but it wouldn't leave.  
  
********  
  
Xander sat back in his seat, content to watch his friends as they chatted happily away. The entire gang was there in the Summers household, to celebrate the start of college for Buffy, Willow and Oz. Mrs. Summers seemed somewhat disappointed to hear that he wasn't attending, but he had explained the situation, or some of it anyway. College just wasn't for him. He had never been big with the academics and he really felt there was something better he could do with his life. College just wasn't for everyone after all. She understood. To be honest he wasn't really sure what it was he wanted to do for a living. He thought he might try his hand at construction. It paid well, good hours and it didn't require rocket science. The future certainly was looking bright.  
  
And that was the problem.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts?"  
  
He glanced up from his quiet musing to find a beautiful blonde staring down at him with a concerned expression.  
  
"Oh, hey Buff. What's up?"  
  
Buffy tossed a look over her shoulder. "Willow and Giles somehow got into a discussion of ancient demon mythology and strangely enough my mom seems interested. SO not my thing. And Oz is being his usual self" She plopped down next to him and sighed. "I noticed you over here being all quiet and got concerned. It's not like you to be so silent."  
  
"I do have my moments you know." Xander replied, acting somewhat offended.  
  
"I know, I know." Buffy placated her friend. "You just seemed a little… I don't know… like you could use a friendly ear."  
  
"I'm touched."  
  
"Be serious," the slayer chided, grabbing a pillow from the top of the sofa and whacking him with it.  
  
"Okay, okay, don't hurt me I'll be good."  
  
"Darn straight you will." Buffy lowered the pillow. "Now make with the talky, what's up?"  
  
"You win." Xander sighed, "I've just been thinking about things, life in general."  
  
Buffy nodded and motioned for him to continue.  
  
"It's just that… everything's changing. High school's over, you guys are off to college and I'm about to go out into the working world. And that's all great and everything…" he paused, as if searching for the words.  
  
"But.." Buffy prompted.  
  
"But…I'm worried, worried that all this is going to end, that you guys will be too busy with college and me with work… we'll just stop hanging out."  
  
"Oh Xan." Buffy leaned over and put her arm around him, pulling him close. "You know I love you. I don't want this to end anymore then you do, and I have no intention of letting it. We're still gonna hang out."  
  
Xander stared into her eyes. "Promise?"  
  
"Just try and keep me away."  
  
Xander leaned over and pulled her into a hug. "Thanks Buff."  
  
"Ah, icky boy germs!" Buffy made a brief show of trying to break away.  
  
"Get a room you two!"  
  
The young blonde threw a glare at her sister, who was standing in front of them making gagging noises. "Freak."  
  
"Fashion victim."  
  
"basket case."  
  
"midget."  
  
"Ladies, ladies, there's no need to fight. There's enough of me to go around."  
  
Dawn of course blushed at this, while Buffy simply smacked him upside the head.  
  
"Hey, OW!" The young man wiggled his eyes at his friend, "And kinky."  
  
This time it was Buffy who blushed.  
  
"Are you two done yet, cause I want to talk to Xander."  
  
"What can I do for you Dawn patrol?" It was then he noticed that dawn has a package in her hand.  
  
"Well actually its something I can do for you." Xander gave her a weird look and she became flushed. "Uh, what I mean is I got something for you, sort of good luck in the workplace gift."  
  
"Ooh, prezzies." Xander rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Where is it, what is it, how much did it cost?"  
  
"Xander!" The slayer admonished her friend. "You don't ask how much a gift cost!"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
The pillow came out again.  
  
"Alright, alright, jeez! Abusive much?" The young man turned back to Dawn. "I'm sorry, Dawn. How can I make it up to you?"  
  
A light went off in Buffy's yes and Buffy saw it. "Don't even think about it, munchkin."  
  
"Spoilsport."  
  
"Jailbait."  
  
"vampire who-"  
  
"Ladies, lets not start this again."  
  
Dawn stuck her tongue out at her sister and turned back to Xander. "Here you go." she presented the package to him. Xander took the box and examined it eagerly. "What is it?"  
  
"Open it, silly."  
  
Dawn was watching him with an expectant look on her face, so he obliged her. Grabbing the lid with both hands, he lifted it clear of the package and beheld his gift.   
  
"It's a shirt." It was indeed, a black t-shirt, sporting a dark red visage of a demons skull, with several pairs of teeth jutting downward sharply.  
  
'Like it?"  
  
"Oh, its.. Uh, great."  
  
Dawns smile grew even more. "I picked it out myself. Now you can be like that punisher guy in your comics punisher. You already look like him. Now you can dress like him, but with more of a demon-slayery look."  
  
'"Hey, I'm the only demon slayer in this house." Buffy sounded indignant.  
  
"And I wouldn't dream of trying to take the title away from you." Xander smiled at Dawn. 'Thanks for the gift Dawnmeister."  
  
"Willow put a spell on it." Dawn blurted out.  
  
Xander immediately felt worried. "Um, okay that was an interesting segue. " He sighed. "I know I'm going to regret this but, what kind of spell?"  
  
"I can explain that one." The redhead in question answered , having overheard the conversation from where she sat debating with Giles. She made her way over the small gathering by the couch. "Dawn, Buffy and me were all talking about how you're always getting into trouble, so we came up with this." She pointed at the shirt in his hand. 'It's a basics protecting spell with a few modifications. It provides a decent level of protection against vampires, cleans easily, repairs itself, and can even stop bullets." She stared sternly at her friend. "Not that this is an invitation to go out and get yourself shot!"  
  
The Zeppo held his hands up in a peaceful gesture. 'Relax Will's. I have no intention and getting myself shot."  
  
"Good." The Wiccan seemed satisfied. "This should help you keep out of trouble, or at least protect you if you go getting into any."  
  
"My own personal girl protection squad. "Xander's eyes lit up again. "Now that's REALLY kinky."  
  
As one, the girls looked at him with wicked smiles and pulled grabbed pillows.  
  
"Oooh, pillow fight." Xander of course is not known for his intelligence.   
  
"Ouch, ow, ah!" Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, Xander quickly leaped up from his seat, shirt clenched firmly in hand, and beat a hasty retreat from the room. "I'm just gonna go try this on."  
  
"Vicious women." he muttered to himself as he made his way into the kitchen. Raising the t-shirt in front of him he examined it more carefully. "Hmm, its not really my style…. Still…." He slipped the shirt on over his black long-sleeved and walked over to the fridge to grab a drink.  
  
It was then that he saw a flicker of movement through the window. It wasn't unusual to see movement outside but for some reason Xander's senses set off warning bells inside his head. He moved to the side of the window and peered out into the darkness.  
  
Someone was definitely out there, and they seemed to be waiting.  
  
shit!  
  
Years of surviving on the hellmouth left Xander with honed reflexes and they kicked into overdrive. Forgetting about his drink, he shot out the kitchen doors and into the living room. Ignoring the startled exclamations from the others he made his way to the front window and peered out carefully.  
  
There were several more men out front. And one of them was in the process of training a high-powered rifle at the occupants in the living room.  
  
"Duck." he cried, leaping onto Buffy and Dawn who were standing nearby and shoving them to the floor, just as the sound of gunfire shattered the silent night. The bullet whizzed over their heads and slammed into the far wall.  
  
Xander glanced up to see that Giles had grabbed behaved much the same as he had, grabbing Willow and Joyce and keeping them low to the carpet. Oz was in the corner, also crouched below the gunman's line of sight.  
  
As he lay there on the ground, surrounded by his besieged friends, listening to their heartbeats, something went off in his mind. He knew what is was immediately, the military knowledge and experience he had obtained from his Halloween stint as a soldier was being called to the forefront, stirred by the combat conditions he was being thrust into.  
  
He motioned to Giles, using an easy to understand hand signals. Giles seemed to understand the message, nodding once and began making his way to the weapons chest. Buffy, having also recovered, hurried to join her watcher.  
  
Xander motioned Dawn over to her mother and then rose up into a crouching position. He made a beeline for the backdoor, knowing the point of entry would most likely be there. Keeping low to avoid being spotted, he made it to the kitchen just as the backdoor swung open. He dodged to the side and hid behind the door, watching as a man clothed all in black appeared, a ski mask covering his face.  
  
Xander tensed and waited as the intruder moved slowly through the doorway, the barrel of a pump-action shotgun coming into view.  
  
Xander acted without thinking. As soon as the man cleared the doorway he stepped forward. His hand shot out like a bullet, grabbing the barrel and thrusting it up and away from the intruders line of fire. Stepping out in front of the stunned killer, his other hand stuck hard and fast, palm flat, fingers clenched, smashing the victims nose and driving his nose bone up and into his brain. He didn't even have a chance the yell out in surprise.  
  
Xander stood there for a moment, shotgun gripped tightly in his hands, shocked into immobility by what he had just done. He hadn't ever killed a human before, and never had a desire to do so. But that's not what stunned him, it was the smooth and flawless way in which he had done it. It was if he had done it before, enough times to become good at it, really good.  
  
Xander quickly shook those thoughts from his mind. There would be time to think through all this later, when everyone was safe. As if to emphasize this point, he caught sight of several more men moving around the side, toward his position. He quickly searched the corpse in front of him, retrieving a serrated knife, silenced handgun and a number of clips. He pocketed these and quickly moved back and away from the opening.  
  
"You, check in there. I'll go around front." Voices from outside. The young man shouldered his shotgun and pulled the silenced pistol from his belt. As the new intruder cleared the doorway he snapped off one quick shot, placing a round cleanly between the eyes. The dead man slumped to the floor beside his comrade with a dull thud.  
  
Deciding it was time to get back to the others, Xander dodged out into the hallway and back into the living room, moving as quickly as he could. Upon entering the room he turned to address Giles. There are at least seven men, well armed. I got two of them. The others seem to be heading for the front, so we gotta get moving." He motioned with the pistol. "You know how to use one of these things.?" The watched nodded so he tossed him the gun and the clips had had retrieved.  
  
To his side he saw that Buffy was loading up with as many weapons as she could carry. He briefly thought about mentioning to Buffy that stakes weren't the best weapons to use against armed men. But he wisely decided against it. The slayer looked royally pissed so he didn't think she'd have much trouble with these guys. She had a crossbow anyhow.  
  
He motioned to Oz and tossed him the shotgun. "Just point,, shoot, then pump the action. Rinse and repeat." He turned his attention on the group. 'Lets go."  
  
The group moved quickly and quietly through the house, making it to the kitchen without incident. Dawn and Joyce let out startled gasps when they saw the two bodies slumped by the door. Even Willow and Buffy looked a bit strangely at Xander. He ignored their gazes and motioned to the door. "Mrs. Summers, you and Dawn go first, with me. Giles, take your group out next. We make for the cars. If we get separated, meet up at the police station.  
  
He took one last look at those around him. "We've come too far to go out now.." He stepped toward the door and retrieved an assault rifle from the second corpse and glanced outside, motioning Joyce and Dawn over. "Now, move!"  
  
The three figures shot out into the night, moving with speed around the side of the house, toward Xander's waiting car. They made it there without being spotted and Xander unlocked the doors, shoving the two women inside. He turned and looked back to the door, waiting for the other group to move out. He saw Oz stick his head out, then start forward.   
  
What he saw next made his blood freeze. Another man clad in black was coming around the other side of the house, behind Oz. Xander had no choice, he raised his assault rifle, just as the other man aimed his weapon, and let loose a burst, the sound echoed a millisecond later by the killers own blast. The man clutched his gut and collapsed back against the house.   
  
It mattered little though, the damage was done. The killers burst had struck the guitar player squarely in the back. He dropped to the ground and lay unmoving, three dark red splotches visible on his shirt.  
  
"OOOOOOZZZZZZ!!!!!!" The cry broke the night, and Xander recognized the voice as Willows. His heart went out to his friend, but he knew their cover was blown.  
  
He quickly spun around and leveled his gun out in front of the house, opening up on the men standing their. He scored two clean hits before the men zeroed his position and started volleys of their own.  
  
"Guys, get moving.!" He shouted the warning out as he rolled away from the gunfire. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a black van pull up on the side of the road. "Oh great, reinforcements." The side doors of the van swung open and gun barrels stuck out. A split second later the nights silence was forever shattered by the constant fire being directed at the kitchen doorway.  
  
The Zeppo trained his aim on the newcomers and peppered the area around the doors with automatic fire, trying to keep them clear long enough for the others to make a break. He couldn't get a good shot though, the angle obscuring his aim on the shooters.  
  
It was then that he saw something that would forever stay ingrained in his mind. From the vans doors, a long cylindrical object emerged, trained on the house. Xander new as soon as he saw it that it was a rocket launcher  
  
"GUY'S GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE NOW!"  
  
He heard Buffy's voice next "XANDER GET MY MOM AND SISTER OUT OF HERE!"  
  
"I WON'T LEAVE YOU!" And he was determined not to. Unfortunately the choice was taken away from him.  
  
A gout of fire erupted from the launcher and the rocket shot from the barrel. Xander viewed it all, his gaze focused on the RPG as it sailed through the night. It all happened in slow motion, the airborne missile slammed through the front window, sending glass shattering outward. There was brief pause.  
  
And then the house exploded. The windows and doors blew outward as gouts of flame enveloped the house, the concussion tearing apart the walls as if they were tissue paper. A detached part of Xander's brain coldly noted that they must have used a modified RPG, since typical ordnance shouldn't have done that kind of damage.  
  
As soon as it had happened, it was over, and the world leaped back into motion around him, the sounds tiny explosions assaulting his ears, accompanied by the nauseating smell of cooked meat.  
  
End part 1  
  
So, ya like?  
  
Authors end notes: If any of the weapons information in here is incorrect, I apologize. Like I said I know a bit about such things, and I'm trying my best. 


	3. Man in Black

Author: Socrates  
  
Disclaimer: Me and Fox own the rights to BTVS and its characters, marvel comics owns the right to the punisher, from which this story will follow to an extent.  
  
Rating: R for extreme violence and mature themes.  
  
Category: Action/Angst/Drama  
  
Summary: What do you do when everything you know and love is stolen from you? Xander Harris is about to face this question and a certain firm will learn that there are some people you just don't cross.  
  
Feedback: Why Certainly.  
  
AN: Forgive me people. I tried to let this one just go away but it wouldn't leave.  
  
AN 2: This part contains disturbing imagery, read at your own risk.  
  
*******  
  
For what felt like an eternity, Xander just stood their. The sounds of the fire, Joyce and Dawn's screams, everything seemed as if it was coming from somewhere far away. His entire world encompassed only him and the smoldering wreckage where his friends had been mere moments ago, their final resting place. A part of him refused to believe that they were all dead. It couldn't be true, could it? But the proof was here, right here before him.  
  
There's no time. The words rang powerfully in his head. Xander recognized the cold, hard voice. It was the same voice he had heard periodically ever since that Halloween night, the embodiment of all his military knowledge and experience. The same voice that had ordered him to lie to Buffy about the re-souling curse. Grieve later, move now. Joyce and Dawn are counting on you!  
  
The voice spurred him into action. He spun around from his crouched position and opened up on the men advancing across the lawn, then he yanked the vehicles door open and hopped in. The keys were in the ignition and the care roared out into the road moments later.  
  
Can't go to the police station. Not safe. He knew that was true. It had been a good ten minutes since the attack had begun. The fact that there hadn't been so much as a hint of a siren meant that no police were coming. They had probably been paid well to turn a blind eye to what was happening. The neighbors were most likely hiding in their bedrooms, waiting for the gunfire to stop. No, there would be no help coming.  
  
A glance in his rearview mirror showed that the fan was in pursuit, but loaded down with all those people and ordnance, they'd be hard pressed to catch up.  
  
"Where are we going?" A voice from the passenger seat. Xander turned to see Joyce Summers, tears streaking down her face. A streak of pain stabbed through his heart at the sight, but he forced it down. There would be time for that later.  
  
"The docks." he informed her calmly. "There are plenty of places to hide there, wait this out."  
  
"What about the police?"  
  
"They can't be trusted. " He looked down for a moment. 'That hit was too well organized. That and the lack of response from law enforcement indicates that they've been paid off."  
  
"Who would do such a thing." The woman's voice cracked. "Why would they do this to us?"  
  
"I don't know miss Summers." His tone darkened, hands clenching the wheel. "But I promise you, I'm going to find out."  
  
A screeching of times brought Xander's attention to the rearview mirror. "Damn." he whispered. A black sedan had pulled in behind them, much closer then the van. Probably a custom job. the voice informed him. Specially modified engine tires with extra traction. No chance in hell we can outrun them.   
  
(Then maybe I can lose them.)  
  
Coming up on a side street, Xander spun the wheel hard, skidding out into the new road. He gunned the motor, speeding down the dark street, then hit the brakes and cut the wheel. He continued this zig zag pattern, trying to confuse his pursuers. It's not going to work. the voice chided. These people are professionals, well trained. That means some really powerful people wanted us out of the picture.  
  
(C'mon, just a little further to the docks.)  
  
Xander knew it was futile, even before he saw the lights of the black sedan pulling in behind them again. The he saw the side window of the vehicle come down, and a rifle barrel stuck out. Anti-Vehicle weapon. Before he even had a chance to react, a shot rang out and Xander felt the rear tire explode, causing the car to spin to the side. Physics took over from there.  
  
The vehicles weight ratio became imbalanced and Xander felt as much as saw the car, turn up on its side. "Hold on." he cried out in warning, as the vehicle flipped, end over end down the road. The screeching metal was deafening, punctuated by the sound of breaking glass. Xander's arm banged against the door and he felt it snap, the pain muted by everything else that was going on. The vehicle rolled several times before coming to a stop on its back.  
  
Xander felt something wet on his forehead, his vision was obscured by blood. "Is everyone okay?" he croaked out. A gasp came from the back and he craned his head to look. Joyce, who seemed to have only sustained some minor cuts and scratches, was tending to Dawn, whose arm was held to her chest, a dark red spot in her sleeve.  
  
He quickly unbuckled his belt, which came free after a bit of tugging. With nothing to hold him to the seat, he fell to the floor, which since the car was upside down was actually the ceiling. He tried the door but found it jammed, so he kicked the window out, grabbed the rifle and rolled free.   
  
"Hold on, I'll get you out." The passenger door was also jammed and to make matters worse he heard the sound of a car pulling up a short distance away. (must be our pursuers.) A few strong tugs and the door jarred open. The two Summers women struggled out of the wreckage.  
  
"Mrs. Summers." he addressed the older woman. "Take Dawn and run. I'll try and hold them off." Joyce nodded her understanding and gently pulled her daughter free along with her, moving in the direction of a nearby warehouse.  
  
"Hey assholes!", he spun around and opened fire on the men advancing, knowing this was futile. With only one usable arm his accuracy was going to be reduced "You call that a shot. I've seen blind men do better!" His attackers responded with gunfire of their own, battering right side of the overturned car. His next burst of fire caught one of the men in the leg, dropping him to the pavement. The small victory was overturned a moment later when a bullet tore into his leg and Xander collapsed, still firing. A second round smashed into his shoulder, rendering his gun arm useless.  
  
He lay there, on the pavement, feeling himself become woozy from blood loss. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the retreating forms of Dawn and Joyce. (Go!) his mind screamed out. They were still to close, he had to buy some time!  
  
He felt the serrated blade he had taken from the dead man still in his jacket pocket and he retrieved it, making sure his movements were slight enough to go unnoticed. The man who had incapacitated him was making his way over to inspect his handiwork. If he could just keep their attention occupied for a little longer.  
  
The man had just about made it to him when a shout went up from somewhere off to Xander's right. "There they are!"  
  
(Dammit!) He had no choice but to act. Pushing the pain to the back of his mind, he forced his body into action, springing forward and burying his knife in his attackers gut. Before he even let go of the handle though he was hit in the side of the head with something blunt and he dropped boneless to the ground.  
  
The world began to fade out as the combination of fatigue and bloodless became too much. But Xander stubbornly refused to succumb. Not that there was anything more he could do.  
  
The sound of more people approaching registered vaguely in his head and he saw two men dragging Dawn and Joyce with them, coming his way. "We got em' boss!" One of the men proclaimed and Xander saw out of the corner of his eye another man approaching. He was different then the others, the way he carried himself He was tall, broad shouldered, long black hair tied back in a pony tail, the look in eyes cold and heartless. Even hadn't identified him, Xander would have known this man was in charge.  
  
"Well now, look what we have here. Two runaways." pointed at the frightened women. "And a cripple.", indicating Xander's sprawled form.  
  
"I swear to god if you touch either one of them I'll kill you." Xander choked out, his condition not adding a whole lot of validity to his threat.  
  
The man in black merely smiled down at him, letting out a small chuckle. "My good man, I have no intention of harming either of these Angels. In fact, I intend to let the little one go right this minute. "He motioned to the man who held Dawn and he reluctantly released his hold on her.  
  
"Go on young one." The man in black spoke gently to her, acting as if he wanted to allay her fears.  
  
"My, my mom." Dawn looked over at her mother, still held captive, unwilling to leave her.  
  
"It's okay young lady, we'll let your mother go soon enough. For now its just you though."  
  
"Dawn, don't listen to him!" Xander tried to warn her, and received a swift kick in his ribs by one of the other thugs.  
  
The man in black scowled disapprovingly at the thug in question. "Now, now, there's no need for that." He turned back to Dawn. "Your mother will join you soon enough. You have my word. Now go on, no one is going to stop you."  
  
"Do what he says." Joyce pleaded to her daughter, her concern for her daughters safety overriding the warning bells that were going off in her head. Dawn took one look at her mother, swallowed the lump in her throat, gatherer her courage and set off away from the group, moving slowly down road that divided the warehouses.  
  
"That's it my girl. Good show." The man in black smiled looked away from the retreating girl and smiled down at Xander, a smile that made his blood run cold. He turned his attention to Joyce. "That's a very brave girl you have their. You should be proud."  
  
The older women scowled at him, fire blazing in her eyes. "You killed my daughter you bastard." she spat upon him. The man in black looked calmly back at her and casually wiped the spittle off his face. "Don't worry my dead, you'll be together again soon enough. You all will."  
  
Recognition flashed in Joyce's eyes and she gasped. "No, please.. Don't hurt my baby, please god I beg you!"  
  
Xander struggled to stand, determined to stop these men, but one of them placed a foot on his chest and pressed down. In his current state, Xander didn't have the strength to break free.  
  
The man in black looked on as if the whole scene was nothing out of the ordinary. He cast a glance toward the youngest Summers, who had moved a good distance away by now, her speed increasing with her confidence.  
  
"Well now, I think that's far enough." He gestured to one of the men. "Peter, if you will be so kind."  
  
"NOOOO!" Joyce cried out, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to break free, to help her daughter The thug, Peter, smiled at this as he raised his weapon and took aim. Dawn, having heard her mothers cry, had taken off at a full run, hoping to get far enough away.  
  
She didn't make it.  
  
Xander watched on in horror, unable to move as the gunman squeezed the trigger and held down, saw Dawn's body shudder and convulse under the onslaught of red hot metal, his heart stopping its beat as she collapsed to the ground and lay so very still.  
  
Joyce exploded at that moment, the pain of seeing both her daughters killed in front of her came boiling over until it exploded into rage. She reached both hands behind her, gripping the face of the man who held her and raking her nails down hard, digging, tearing into flesh. "Argh, shit." the man cried out, releasing his grip on the women in order to grab his bloodied face. Joyce immediately lashed out at the next man she saw, leaping at him with the intent to inflict as much damage as possible.   
  
Her blow was quickly intercepted though by the man in black, his cold eyes gazing at her with that same eerie calmness. He wagged one finger at her disapprovingly. "That wasn't very nice, no was it." He released her into the grip of the man whose face she had mauled, who had recovered by now to the extent of being fairly pissed.  
  
"Bitch." he shouted as he slugged her hard in the face, the blow bringing sending her reeling. But he didn't let up, continuing his assault as she collapsed to the pavement, the litany of curses escaping his bleeding mouth punctuated by the punches and kicks he pummeled her with. Xander renewed his efforts at this, desperate to help the elder Summers, to make sure at least someone survived. The foot holding him down proved unmovable and he was once again struck for his actions. He watched in growing agony and helplessness as the enraged thug rained blow after blow upon the fallen woman, blood coating the ground beneath her. He heard her breathing becoming more and more hoarse and he silently pleaded for the man to stop. Be he just kept going.  
  
Finally, after what seemed an eternity the man in black stepped in, laying a hand on the shoulder of Joyce's attacker. "That's enough." he announced calmly, withdrawing a silenced handgun from his coat and casually firing a round into Joyce Summers head.  
  
"You see.' he turned to address Xander. "I'm not heartless. Now, where would you like it. Just tell me and I'll do it"  
  
The last remaining Scooby spat blood at the man in response. "Fuck you."  
  
"Very well." The man in black sighed. He nodded at two of his thugs and they moved to pull Xander to up, his feet dragging the ground as he was supported by the two men.  
  
"Just remember, I offered you the choice."  
  
"I'm going to kill everyone of you."  
  
The man in black smiled at that. "We'll see. By the way, my names Gabriel, pleased to meet you." Saying this, he fired once, twice into Xander's chest, the young man going completely limp, then holstered his gun.  
  
"Gentleman, I suggest we adjourn to the docks where we can dispose of these unfortunate fellows properly. I'm thinking a bon-fire."  
  
********  
  
End part 2  
  
Like, dislike? 


End file.
